Patience

So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. ‭‭ Genesis‬ ‭29:20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”  Exodus 32:1 NIV

Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭13:8-14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭22:31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!  Psalms 27:14 NKJV

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.  Psalms 37:7 NLT

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:7-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry.  Psalms 40:1 NLT

“When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭75:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. ‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭2:3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:2-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:24-25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Romans 12:12 NLT

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; ‭‭II Thessalonians‬ ‭1:4-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭NKJV

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 NLT

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ‭‭James‬ ‭5:7-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

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Devotionals

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”  Exodus 32:1 NIV. Comments by Mike MacIntosh. Patience is not something that comes naturally for any of us.  Wouldn’t you agree?  We want to eat right away, so we hop in the car and pick up fast food.  We want to listen to a song, so we download the song.  We buy and sell stocks instantly, with the click of a button.  In a world of instant satisfaction, it’s no wonder we lack patience — especially with God.  The Israelites found themselves growing impatient.  Here they were, camped beside Mount Sinai, waiting for Moses to return from the mountaintop, where he was talking with God.  But what was taking Moses so long?  Did he die?  Nearly 40 days had passed since anyone had seen or heard from him, and the people were starting to get antsy.  They complained to Aaron, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”  But the Israelites were making a huge mistake. First, the people assumed that because Moses had not yet returned, he would never return.  And this is the mistake of many who reason that because Jesus has not yet returned for His church, He never will.  It is the same mistake we make when we think that the Lord cannot change someone’s heart, simply because that person has yet to change, or that God will not answer a prayer, simply because He has not answered it yet.  But it is always a mistake to assume that present circumstances will never change simply because they have yet to change.  Next, notice that the people see Moses as their liberator — they call him “the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt.”  But Moses had not led them out of the land of Egypt — God had.  Moses had never even claimed to be their leader.  In fact, while speaking with God on the mountaintop, Moses humbly tells God, “You have brought [them] out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 32:11).  The people, though, did not acknowledge God; they effectively made Moses their god.  They didn’t rely on the commands of God, but on the presence of a man.  How, then, could they understand God’s will in the man’s absence?  When we fail to see God’s leading — when we blame the people around us for problems and delays, the way the Israelites blamed Moses in his absence — we grow impatient.  We try to take charge.  And that led to the Israelites’ biggest mistake.  The people were tired of waiting, and they wanted to take action — they wanted to replace Moses.  Not with another man, or even with a number of men, but with gods.  False gods, plural.  And Aaron didn’t say one word to counter them; he facilitated the creation of a golden calf, of which the people proclaimed, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” (Exodus 32:4).  First it was Moses who delivered them, now a golden calf?  Would the people never acknowledge God?  You know, we can read this story and understand the foolishness of the Israelites to grow so impatient and act so impulsively.  But are we guilty of the same mistakes?  I’m sure the Israelites must have been proud of their teamwork in coming together to create a golden calf.  I’m sure it took much skill to create.  And I’m sure they found the golden calf impressive.  But did that make it worthy of the credit that only God deserved? Do we grow impatient with God, and build idols in our lives that rob Him of the glory He deserves?  Today, let me encourage you to wait on the Lord.  Maybe you need His wisdom on an important decision, or His provision for the coming days, weeks, and months.  Maybe, like the Israelites, you’re wandering in the wilderness, waiting for God to point you to the promised land.  Trust that He is in charge.  Know that He can bring change to your life, and hope to your soul.  And always acknowledge Him in everything you do. Proverbs 3:5-6 says it best: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” 

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry.  Psalms 40:1 NLT. Comments by Dennis Fisher, Our Daily Bread. With so many instantaneous forms of communication today, our impatience with hearing a reply from others is sometimes laughable. Someone I know sent an email to his wife and then called her by cell phone because he couldn’t wait for a reply! Sometimes we feel that God has let us down because He does not provide an immediate answer to a prayer. Often our attitude becomes, “Answer me speedily, O Lord; my spirit fails!” (Psalms 143:7). But waiting for the Lord can transform us into a people of growing faith. King David spent many years waiting to be crowned king and fleeing from Saul’s wrath. David wrote, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart” (Psalms 27:14). And in another psalm he encourages us with these words, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He . . . set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps” (Psalms 40:1-2). David grew into “a man after [God’s] own heart” by waiting on the Lord (Acts 13:22; see 1 Samuel 13:14). When we become frustrated with God’s apparent delay in answering our prayer, it is good to remember that He is interested in developing faith and perseverance in our character (James 1:2-4). Wait on the Lord! God stretches our patience to enlarge our souls.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32. Comments by Cindy Hess Kasper. As Dolores was driving along a country road, she noticed that a car was following her rather closely. She could almost feel the irritation of the driver as she drove cautiously and slowly navigated several turns.  Of course, the driver of the other car had no way to know that Dolores was transporting 100 pounds of mashed potatoes, two crock pots full of gravy, and many other food items for a church supper—enough to feed 200 people! Sensing the other driver’s frustration, Dolores thought, If he just realized the fragile load I’m carrying, he would understand why I’m driving like I am.  Just as quickly, another thought occurred to her: How often am I impatient with people when I have no idea of the fragile load they might be carrying?  How easily do we pass judgment on someone, assuming that we know all the facts about a situation? God’s Word sends us in a more charitable direction, instructing us to treat each other with kindness, humility, and patience (Colossians 3:12). How much more loving we are when we bear with and forgive each other (v.13).  Let’s treat others as we would like to be treated (Luke 6:31), remembering that we don’t always know the burden they may be carrying. If you are tempted to lose patience with another, stop and think how patient God has been with you.  

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.  1 Thessalonians 1:2-5. Comments by Mike MacIntosh. As I was studying the book of 1 Thessalonians not too long ago, the Holy Spirit showed me something I had not seen before, and that is the relationship between patience and hope. As I read through this passage, it dawned on me so clearly that it takes patience when you are hoping for something, and it takes hope to be patient; they really are linked together. For those of you in college, most of you are there in hopes of receiving a diploma. But before you will receive that diploma it will take years of patiently taking classes, doing homework, writing papers, and attending lectures. If you lose that hope of one day receiving a diploma, you will no longer patiently endure the work that is needed to achieve the diploma. In a similar manner, if you lose the patience to attend the lectures, write the papers, and do the homework, you will have no hope of receiving that diploma. Hope provides the reason to be patient and patience is that pathway whereby we achieve hope. These two words, patience and hope, are linked together and by them we are able to triumph and walk victoriously, as hope is the anchor to our soul and patience has its perfect work in us. So today if you are losing patience, get your eyes focused back on your hope. Or if you have lost a bit of hope, remember that patience is needed to reach that hope. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast (Hebrews 6:19a). My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2-4).  

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:4. Comments by David Jeremiah. Model of Patience. One of the best-known idioms in the English language shows up consistently in the day’s news: “the patience of Job.” People are said to exhibit the patience of Job when undergoing various circumstances or in their daily vocations. But truth be told, Job was not a very patient man. Until the end of the book, Job was on an impatient mission to prove he wasn’t the cause of his own suffering. So if Job is not a good example of patience, who is? Working backward from Galatians 5:22—“But the fruit of the Spirit is. . .long suffering [that is, patience]”—we arrive at Christ. The fruit of the Spirit represents the Spirit’s manifestations of the life of Christ in us—so Christ must have been the personification of the fruit of the Spirit, including patience. But what about when Christ drove the merchants out of the temple with a whip, turning over their tables of money and cages of animals? Was that patience? For a Christian, patience is willful and cheerful submission to the will and timing of God in one’s life. Patience is not always meek and quiet—but it is God-centered, which makes it a measure by which to evaluate whether we are patient or not.

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. James 5:7. Comments by Marvin Williams, Our Daily Bread. A 2006 survey of more than 1,000 adults discovered that most people take an average of 17 minutes to lose their patience while waiting in line. Also, most people lose their patience in only 9 minutes while on hold on the phone. Impatience is a common trait. James wrote to a group of believers who were struggling with being patient for Jesus’ return (James 5:7). They were living under exploitation and distressing times, and James encouraged them to “set the timer of their temper” for the long run. Challenging these believers to persevere under suffering, he tried to stimulate them to stand firm and to live sacrificially until the Lord returned to right every wrong. He wrote: “Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (v.8). James called them to be like the farmer who waits patiently for the rain and the harvest (v.7) and like the prophets and the patriarch Job who demonstrated perseverance in difficulties (vv.10-11). The finish line was just ahead and James encouraged the believers not to give up. When we are being tried in a crucible of distress, God desires to help us continue living by faith and trusting in His compassion and mercy (v.11). What is most difficult about being patient during stressful times? Ask God for the grace to help you live by faith and to live for the long run. The way to great patience is through great trials.

Comments by Mike Fabarez. Wait Patiently. Sometimes the way we read the Bible becomes a disservice to our Christian life. When a tension is presented in the plot of a biblical narrative we naturally “can’t wait” to see how it will be resolved; so we rush on to see how God works it all out. And after we’ve become familiar with all the Bible stories, our rereads of the various human crises are often skimmed with the calm thought that “in a few pages it will all be fine… I know how this story ends!” Unfortunately the impact to our Christian lives in not allowing our hearts to feel the duration of the time markers found in these accounts, is that we begin to feel like our own prolonged and unresolved conflicts, injustices, pains, and problems are bizarre or unusual. We impatiently cry out to God as though he is inattentive or has forgotten about our hurt. But stop, think, and sympathize with the reality that Isaac wasn’t born to Abraham until twenty-five years after the promise. Remember that Joshua and Caleb had to wander through the desert for forty years before entering the Promised Land. Call to mind that the time between the anointing of David as king and his enthronement was a turbulent fifteen years. Don’t forget that the Babylonian captivity stretched on for seventy years. So when you read your Bible, slow down and experience these stories as they were intended. Recognize that built in to almost every biblically recorded predicament is God’s call for his people to “wait on him” and “be patient!” 

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Quotes

“Patience is a fruit of the spirit that only grows under trial.”  – Anonymous author

“Pay attention to your knee-jerk reactions, and you will learn how loving and patient you are.” – Anonymous author

“Don’t be stubborn, striving to get your own way, be patient.  Crucify that fleshly desire to have a stubborn and rebellious attitude. We need difficult people in our lives, they teach us patience, kindness, gentleness.” – Anonymous author

“To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself is a mark of perfection, but to bear with patience wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection and even of actual sin.” – Thomas Aquinas

“Great things are not accomplished by idle dreams, but by years of patient study.” – James H. Aughey

“Do daily and hourly your duty; do it patiently and thoroughly. Do it as it presents itself; do it at the moment, and let it be its own reward. Never mind whether it is known and acknowledged or not, but do not fail to do it.” – James H. Aughey

“Patience is the companion of wisdom.” – Augustine

“The moment an ill can be patiently handled, it is disarmed of its poison, though not of its pain.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“I think Christians fail so often to get answers to their prayers because they do not wait long enough on God. They just drop down and say a few words, and then jump up and forget it and expect God to answer them. Such praying always reminds me of the small boy ringing his neighbor’s door-bell, and then running away as fast as he can go.” – E.M. Bounds

“It is hard to wait and press and pray, and hear no voice, but stay till God answers.” – E.M. Bounds

“Faith, and hope, and patience and all the strong, beautiful, vital forces of piety are withered and dead in a prayerless life. The life of the individual believer, his personal salvation, and personal Christian graces have their being, bloom, and fruitage in prayer.” – E.M. Bounds

“Patience is the ability to suffer a long time under the mistreatment of others without growing resentful or bitter.” – Jerry Bridges

“The cure for impatience with the fulfillment of God’s timetable is to believe His promises, obey His will, and leave the results to Him. So often when God’s timetable stretches into years we become discouraged and…want to give up or try to work something out on [our] own.” – Jerry Bridges

“Hope is the foundation of patience.” – John Calvin 

“One of the great disadvantages of hurry is that it takes such a long time.” – G.K. Chesterton

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the task anew.” – Francis de Sales

“The will of God is never exactly what you expect it to be. It may seem to be much worse, but in the end it’s going to be a lot better and a lot bigger.” – Elisabeth Elliot

“Appearances can be deceptive. The fact that we cannot see what God is doing does not mean that He is doing nothing. The Lord has His own timetable. It is we who must learn to adjust to it, not vice versa. When God’s time comes nothing will stand in His way. We can therefore wait for Him with this happy confidence: “As for God, His way is perfect” (2 Samuel 22:31).” – Sinclair B. Ferguson

“No short-cut that tries to bypass the patient unfolding of the true character of God, and our relationship to him as his children, can ever succeed in providing long-term spiritual therapy.” – Sinclair B. Ferguson

“Slight small injuries and they will become none at all.” – Thomas Fuller

“He that is impatient, and cannot wait on God for a mercy, will not easily submit to Him in a denial.” – William Gurnall

“Let’s help people get on board with what God wants to give them, but what we don’t want is the process. Everyone wants the product.” – Chip Ingram

“We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.” – Helen Keller

“I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, like a breeze among flowers.” – Helen Keller

“Thy peace shall be in much patience.” – Thomas a Kempis

“There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man’s faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in spite of everything.” – Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“Wait for the Lord. Behave yourself manfully, and be of good courage. Do not be faithless, but stay in your place and do not turn back.” – Thomas a Kempis

“All men commend patience, although few are willing to practice it.” – Thomas a Kempis

“Set not thyself to attain much rest, but much patience.” – Thomas a Kempis

“Do not let the loud utterances of your own wills anticipate, nor drown, the still, small voice in which God speaks. Bridle impatience till He does. If you cannot hear His whisper, wait till you do. Take care of running before you are sent. Keep your wills in equipoise till God’s hand gives the impulse and direction.” – Alexander MacLaren

“Cheerful patience is a holy art and skill, which a man learns from God.”  – Thomas Manton

“Teach us, O Lord, the disciplines of patience, for to wait is often harder than to work.” – Peter Marshall

“Our patience is demonstrated most clearly when we settle ourselves and focus on what we can do while we wait.” – Crystal McDowell

“Do not be impatient for impatience is of the flesh. Do not try different methods because they are useful solely in helping the flesh. We must distrust the flesh entirely.” – Watchman Nee

“Patience is like good motor oil. It doesn’t remove all the contaminants. It just puts them into suspension so they don’t get into your works and seize them up. Patient people have, so to speak, a large crankcase. They can put a lot of irritants into suspension.” – Cornelius Plantinga

“Patience is a grace as difficult as it is necessary, and as hard to come by as it is precious when it is gained.” – Charles Spurgeon

“The times we find ourselves having to wait on others may be the perfect opportunities to train ourselves to wait on the Lord.” – Joni Eareckson Tada

“What then are we to do about our problems? We must learn to live with them until such time as God delivers us from them. We must pray for grace to endure them without murmuring. Problems patiently endured will work for our spiritual perfecting. They harm us only when we resist them or endure them unwillingly.” – A. W. Tozer

“Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! Thy wings shall my petition bear To Him whose truth and faithfulness Engage the waiting soul to bless.” – William Walford

“There are no sins God’s people are more subject to than unbelief and impatience. They are ready either to faint through unbelief, or to fret through impatience.” – Thomas Watson

“A Christian without patience is like a soldier without arms.” – Thomas Watson

“There is no love of God without patience, and no patience without lowliness and sweetness of spirit.” – John Wesley

“Humility and patience are the surest proofs of the increase of love.” – John Wesley

“Some of your greatest blessings come with patience.” – Warren Wiersbe